I live on Nicolas Bravo, right up from the Cine Paraiso. My balcony looks out over the mountains around our little town. It is here, on my balcony, that I can witness one strange phenomenon of nature. From November through April, every year, at precisely 6:30 everyday of the week, a flock of sparrows congregates in the air above Zihuatanejo. They come from all of the surrounding mountains, from all directions. Then at precisely 6:35, after creating thousands of black dots on the horizon, they descend upon the electrical wires above the movie-theater.
The whole process is rather unbelievable. Do they say to each other….”Yea, meet you for a beer later on.” Is it a club? I want to know. Any of you readers that happen to be educated on the daily migratory patters of sparrows, please let us know the answer. Go check it out, stand in front of the movie-theater and look up, just remember not to stand directly under the wires, for fear of a little birdie choosing you as his next victim.
-January 2000
